This book was kindly given to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
I liked this book but it didn't quite live up to my expectations and it had a little problem we call 'insta-love' which made it difficult for me to connect with the romance.
Let me start by talking about what I did like;
Lil was a really nice character, it was refreshing that she was kind of bad at the whole wooing thing. She ate lots, talked with food in her mouth, talked too much and said inappropriate things sometimes, was awful at small talk. You know, things that made her like a real person! She was also kind hearted, loyal, loving, honest about who she was and funny. I loved the thumb wars and tickling, it was really cute and something I could imagine happening in a real burgeoning romance.
I also thought that the added dimension in this book (not strong enough for me to consider this paranormal) of the dreams/visions of her dead twin was an interesting touch.
The other thing I really liked about this book was the plot idea. I won't reveal details as I like to try to review without spoilers but it was dramatic and heart breaking and brave of the author to write about such a serious topic that needs a lot more attention in the media. The action could have possibly been more climactic, the characters seemed to take a back seat, but I guess that is more realistic. There was also a little mystery mentioned early on and sort of forgotten about through the action that then popped up at the end. I was waiting for it and was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't guessed what it'd be at all. I liked it, I was pleased I didn't have to re-evaluate my character assessments.
I'm sorry to say, however, there were a few things that tempered my enjoyment of the book and made it difficult for the positives to shine out. Firstly, the insta-love problem. I didn't get where their love came from. A little bit of flirting, a couple of dates, not much passion or intensity, hardly know each, but BAM they're in love! I'm sorry to say I just didn't see it. Also, I don't expect all NA romance books to be steamy but this one was almost embarrassingly lacking. I actually felt sorry for Lil. I think if an author doesn't want to, or doesn't feel comfortable, describing passionate scenes then they should be avoided altogether. The sex in this book was of the 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' variety. No talk of contraception (which makes me feel the characters are irresponsible and immature) and no foreplay and no (except one time I remember) female orgasm. It's no big deal but it just added to the feeling for me that the connection between the characters wasn't there.
I also found some of the secondary characters two dimensional. Maybe the book was too short? Not enough time to develop the friendships, family bonds or romance. A shame really because I thought Lil and Dane, the concept and the plot of the book were really good.
Oh and possible the cheesiest epilogue ever, but I probably would have loved it if I had developed a bond with the characters.
To summarise, I liked the book and enjoyed the story but was distracted by a lack of relationship development and intensity.
I would also like to note as an after thought (although I didn't let it affect my marking because having been provided with a review copy I have no way of knowing if it is identical in editing to the one on sale) - there were far too many spelling, grammar and continuity errors in this book. 'Their' when it should be 'they're', dosing when it should dozing, missing speech marks in dialogue, one minute Lil is wearing just a shirt and the next Dane is pulling her to him using belt hoops on her jeans. One or two I'd overlook even in a professionally published book (proof readers are only human!) but this was a bad case and if I have indeed read the final edit then I think it needs another serious edit.